Eagle Express
LHS Staff Newsletter--Year 18, Vol. 25, 02/25/19
Principal's Message
What a fabulous week we had last week. As we continued our focus on kindness and positivity, there were examples of these qualities all around us. Teachers continue to take on the kindness challenge and put smiles on students' faces across the building. Krissy has compiled several of these videos and you can view the first two compilations here and here. It's never too late to spread kindness and positivity. If you want to record a video and upload it, just see Krissy. Watch for more videos in upcoming weeks.
We also had a lot of positive input related to last week's Advisory session. The lesson was a topic of interest selected by students on the advisory survey they took back in October. Several advisory teachers noted that while it may have been a topic they were apprehensive about covering at first, the level of student engagement it created made it the best advisory to date. One teacher said his group “had amazing discussion and shared stories from their own experiences,” adding that his “group was more invested in the discussion than ever before.”
Feedback was also positive from students. One student mentor said her class “thought it was one of the best advisories this year.” She felt like the video was something everyone should see and discuss, and that her class had an excellent discussion afterwards. Another student mentor said, “this was the first time all year that everyone in my freshman advisory group participated. They actually talked and it was great.”
Thanks to the entire advisory team for valuing student voice and then crafting lessons specifically around their interest choices.
I Make a Difference
From Ann Marie Murphy
It is with great pleasure to give the I Make a Difference Award to Gina Wood. She has worked with our students in so many areas for many years. Gina goes out into the community and secures work sites/jobs for the students for work experience. She also is one of our teachers that works with our students in the coffee shop which helps the students to become comfortable and successful with job related tasks. They learn to work with adults and how to serve customers while working in the coffee shop. Gina also teaches the academics they need to be successful when they graduate from high school. I could go on and on stating all that Gina does to help our students feel confident as transition to life after high school. Thank you Gina for all you do, we truly do appreciate you.
Digital Learning Day
The Virginia Department of Education is encouraging all schools to participate in Digital Learning Day, February 28. This event is designed to celebrate digital learning in addition to transformational teaching and learning practices. This is also a perfect time to revisit internet safety and digital citizenship. Visit Digital Learning Day to learn more about this event and Virginia Department of Education for other technology initiatives. Internet safety and digital citizenship resources have been curated by Instructional Technology Specialists and Library Media Specialists to share at each school.
Upcoming Events
Monday, 02/25 (B)
Academy Staff Meeting, 2:15, ECC
Regional Basketball Finals, Scope
Tuesday, 02/26 (A)
PAC Meeting,2:20, ECC
Spring Sports Parent Meeting, 6:00, Schola
Wednesday, 02/27 (B)
TCE Spaghetti Dinner, 6:00, Cafeteria
Thursday, 02/28 (A)
Band Concert, 7:00, Auditorium
Friday, 03/01 (B)
Student Advisory Board Meeting, 12:00, ECC
Saturday, 03/02
VBCPS Partnership Expo & PTA Vendor Fair
LEAD Aspiring Administrators Program
The LEAD Aspiring Administrators program is a two-year program designed to identify, select and prepare talented teachers and other instructional personnel for school administration. The program helps teacher leaders build skills essential to their development as a leader and provides a framework for aspiring administrators to grow professionally and develop skills to meet present and future challenges. The rigorous program has four components:
One-day summer institutes in 2019 and 2020;
Monthly leadership sessions held 4:30-6:30 p.m.;
The development of a leadership portfolio; and
- A culminating job-embedded action research project.
Successful applicants must hold a current administrative endorsement and have school and/or division leadership experience. For information and the application, please visit LEAD Virginia Beach. Applications and required recommendations have a firm deadline of March 18. There will be an optional information session March 4 at 4:45 p.m. in the School Board Room at the School Administration Building. Interested applicants should RSVP to pgi@vbschools.com.
Partnership Expo
The Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) Office of Community Engagement invites you to attend the 2019 VBCPS Partnership Expo Saturday, March 2, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Landstown High School. Join us to learn about the many academic-enriching partnerships taking place in our classrooms across the division.
The expo will feature representatives from more than 100 school division partnerships that provide educational opportunities to meet the unique needs of students and schools. Attendees can visit exhibits and speak with representatives from organizations and schools about community involvement, volunteer opportunities, summer employment and internships.
Announcements & Reminders
Progress Report Update: Due to an issue in Synergy, progress reports will be distributed on Monday, March 4--not Friday, March 1.
Soul Food Extravaganza: Several students signed up for the Soul Food Extravaganza on February 27. Tickets were placed in 1B teacher mailboxes or 2B teacher mailboxes if the student doesn't have a first block class. Thank you for your help in distributing tickets to students.
Good Luck: Good luck to our NJROTC cadets as they compete in the Area Five NJROTC Drill, Physical Fitness and Academics Championships at JEB Little Creek and Lake Taylor this weekend!
Student Engagement PL: On February 27th, the Student Engagement and Agency PL pathway will look at student agency through the lens of project-based learning. Here is a short description of our upcoming session:
Project-based learning (PBL) is a way to deliver content and teach skill sets in a meaningful, authentic, and retainable way. Aligned with student agency, PBL involves bringing students together to make decisions while working through complex and challenging problems. This session will offer teachers the essential design elements and teaching practices involved in planning high-quality PBL experiences. All teachers are invited to attend this session at 2:20 pm in the library.
Annual Mandatory Training: The Annual Mandatory Employee Training completion date has been extended to February 28!
Strategic Planning Input: The division will be soliciting input on the strategic planning process with an upcoming survey. The planning process for the next strategic plan has been ongoing and has included meetings with a variety of stakeholder groups and a Virtual Town Hall hosted on vbschools.com. The information gained from the input process has been incorporated into an online survey that will go live February 18 and remain open until March 8. On Monday, February 18, all Virginia Beach City Public Schools staff members will receive an email that will explain the survey and include a link. You are asked to complete the survey by March 8. The survey link will be available on vbschools.com so that parents and community members may access the survey. Parents will be notified of the survey through an AlertNow email message sent by the Office of Planning, Innovation and Accountability.
Judges Needed: VBCPS will be hosting the Virginia Educator's Rising Student Leadership Conference for the VTfT students this year at Ocean Lakes on March 23rd. The district needs to provide the judges for the various events, including Children Books, impromptu speaking, and Educational Issues. If you are willing to volunteer, email Katie Bennett in our English department.
Kudos
Congratulations to Luqman Haskett who took second place in the triple jump at the State Indoor Track meet.
Congratulations to our three Forensics students who competed in Saturday’s super regional tournament. They will all advance to state competition. Darrick Edison placed first in prose, Ava Van Ameringen placed third in humorous dramatic interpretation, and Yardan Shabazz placed first in serious dramatic interpretation.
Congratulations to our students who participated in the Trashion Show this weekend. They took home the People's Choice Award and had two top three finishers!
Kudos and thanks to all staff members who helped chaperone Friday's block party. Students enjoyed a dance off, door prizes, games, and a fantastic performance by the step team. None of this could have been possible without the support of our staff.
Congratulations to Caroline Clark for being selected to serve on the Environmental Science curriculum committee and Shawn Bolling for being selected to serve on the Psychology curriculum committee
February 26: Ricky Hailey, Counseling
February 26: Angela Tonneson, HPE
February 28: Debra Mitchell, Special Ed TA
March 2: Michelle Dowdy, Library
March 3: Nichole Malbon, English
WELCOME TO THE NEST!
Mr. Tom Gustafson
Mrs. Elizabeth Pickett
Mr. Ricardo "Roy" Artajo
Teacher Assistant of the Year
TalentEd Info
Principal's Advisory Committee
The Principal's Advisory Committee serves in an advisory capacity to address employee concerns as they relate to site conditions that negatively impact on high student achievement and high employee morale. The PAC is committed to resolving issues professionally and in a timely manner. The following staff members have been elected to serve on this year's PAC: Katie Bennett, Caroline Clark, Jae Clark, Terri Gayer, Woody Gehlert, Kay Gramling, Kathy Holbert, Suzette Johnson, Connie Martinez, Michael Robinson, Kelly Singer and Anne Marie Sprague. Use this form to submit concerns to the PAC.
Our Guiding Questions
- How do students determine and engage with their learning targets?
- What is the evidence that students are exercising their voice and choice throughout the learning process?
- What evidence is there that the teacher has planned opportunities for students to choose from a variety of tools/structures during their learning?
- How are teachers using assessment tools as part of their assessment strategy?
- What evidence exists that supports student collaboration, exploration, and creation efforts?
Landstown High School
Email: cheryl.askew@vbschools.com
Website: http://www.landstownhs.vbschools.com/
Location: 2001 Concert Drive, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Phone: 757-648-5500
Twitter: @LandstownEagles